Happy Halloween!

These photos were taken last year when Don walked the boys on Halloween; I think he even came home with a few treats (I'm talking about candy!). This fall has been equally gorgeous but colder & wetter. Happy trick or treating!

knitting & the World Series

Last night the World Series began; the Phillies vs the Yankees. The Phillies handily won 6-1. The Phillies pitcher, Cliff Lee, lasted all 9 innings! I used to watch a fair amount of baseball. Followed the Atlanta Braves at one time. But even if I've gotten out of the habit now, the World Series is different. I love watching it & it is a great time to knit. (When the ice storm hit Lincoln in October of '97 & we lost power, Don & I went to bed early & listened to the World Series on a battery powered radio.) Just in time for the World Series I started this project . . .



It'll become a felted knitting basket like this one I made for myself. The recipe calls for 500 yards of worsted weight wool. For this new project I'm using color Blue Blood Red from the Brown Sheep Company located in Mitchell, Nebraska. I buy it at my LYS.



This new project is a Christmas present. I expect to finish knitting it during the World Series & felt it later. May the best team win!

the colors of fall

Lincoln is vibrant with the trees changing color right now. It's been a challenge capturing it in photos, but I've been trying. These shots were all taken in my neighborhood!

Happy Birthday, Cheyenne!

Cheyenne is Don's niece. This is a photo I took at her sister's (Amber) wedding in August. She's still just a kid but is looking very grown up. She's fun to hang out with. Does some fun things on the computer, likes to draw. Hope she has a great day!

Ivy at the park

There was a break from the rainy weather on Saturday so Ivy & I headed to Roberts Park, just up the street from my home. The playground is meant for Ivy's age group so we hung around there for a short while. I believe we had more fun there than her folks did at the Nebraska/Iowa State game . . .

Happy Birthday, Louie!

Louie (Sharmin's husband) is seen here last Thanksgiving with his Beagle, Alex. I'm partial to Beagles myself so I like this photo (except using the flash would've been better). Yesterday Louie & Sharmin attended the Husker football game while I babysat Ivy. We had a good time hanging out together.

Austin

Don is visiting Austin this weekend in Iowa City. They planned on going to a motorcycle auction in Illinois together. Don got a sneak peak yesterday while Austin was at class & decided it wasn't worth returning for anything. But the two of them have had some hang out together time which I'm happy to see. I'll get to see Austin when he comes home for Thanksgiving.

smoosh face!

My aunt, Elaine, sent me this snapshot of her grandchildren taken last summer: Ellen & Sarah giving their baby brother, David, a kiss. Lots of love going on here!

bald eagles

Not something you see every day but it is certainly more common than it used to be: Don spotted this bald eagle last fall when we were leaving Dad's. We were still on highway 4. Even with my zoom lens the picture isn't too great but it's good enough to know it's an eagle. We have seen them further north too. So keep an eye on the road & an eye out for eagles!

Nancy's clothespins

I came across clothespins on Nancy's (my sister) clothesline last year. No sign of a clothespin bag though. I remember Mom had one out on the farm. It spent so much time outside on the clothesline that the elements eventually wore the fabric away & Mom would have to sew a new one. It had a wire frame that hooked over the line. Sometimes the wind blew hard enough to knock it to the ground. So I suppose my fascination with clothespins is driven a little by nostalgia for a time gone by.

I also want to say Happy Birthday to my friend, Nancy, who is from Blue Hill but lives here in Lincoln now. We met a looooooooong time ago when we both worked in the nursing home in Blue Hill. I spent a couple of summers in high school living with my grandparents & walked to work. Nancy & I bonded over emptying bed pans, bathing residents & eating great food made by her mother, Bertha, who worked in the kitchen. Happy Birthday, Nancy!

Eleanor

While I was visiting Dad this week I also stopped in to see my aunt, Eleanor, while she was quilting. She quilts with a group of 13 women on Monday and Thursday afternoons. I assumed that they used the church basement but discovered that they quilt in two back rooms of the funeral home! On Thursday there were only seven women quilting; some had stayed back at the church for Keenagers. I had a nice visit with Eleanor. Reviewed some quilting techniques. For a fee they hand quilt projects brought in by others. Word of mouth & they stay busy . . .

Ivy turns 2!

Don's great niece, Ivy, turns two today! She's a cutie!

new roof

I visited Dad yesterday & noted the slow progress being made in roofing Sacred Heart Church. The weather has been wet & dreary so it is prudent not to be up on that very high roof under these conditions.

flower power

My friend, Cheryl, takes amazing photographs. Her favorite subject is flowers, although she has been busy taking photos of aprons too. The photo shown is a Magnolia, a beautiful flower that grows on the Magnolia tree in the South. She finally created a website to display her photographs and she recently added a tulip gallery that is truly stunning. The amazing thing is that she takes these photos with her point and shoot camera on the macro setting. Good lighting is essential, but these photos were taken in her home without a lot of fancy equipment. I do need to spend some serious time with her; unfortunately(?) she lives in Mississippi. (That means there has to be a road trip sometime in the future, although I doubt Christie will be interested in this one.) Anyway here is the link so you can enjoy her photos too: www.corinthrose.com. Enjoy the tour!

billboards

This photo was sent to me by my friend, Nancy, who lives in Arizona. We met when we lived in Camden, Arkansas & have kept in touch ever since. Not sure of the intent of this billboard which certainly makes it photo worthy! Thanks for sending it, Nancy!

Abby & Travis in KC

This is a photo of Abby & Travis on their recent first wedding anniversary. They celebrated the event at Kansas City Speedway. They are pictured in front of Greg Biffle's picture. He is Travis' favorite Nascar driver. Looks like they had fun! Thanks for the photo, Abby!

Happy Birthday, Rex!

Rex is Don's oldest brother & lives in South Carolina. Which means we don't get to see him very often. We did get to see him in August for Amber's wedding (he's helping transport bouquets in this photo); then he & Don spent time together in Sturgis. Hope you're celebrating, Rex!

kntting project

Since I've been buying yarn lately I thought I should show evidence that I actually know how to knit. I always like having an easy project I can pick up now & then; a scarf is the perfect project for me. I am knitting this scarf on size 3 needles with sock yarn. I tried a pattern that was quite lacy but if I made a mistake (and I kept making them) I couldn't figure out how to rip back & keep the right number of stitches on my needle. So Salli at my LYS gave me this easy pattern: knit 3 rows then purl one row; repeat. I cast on 30 stitches; I want a long,skinny scarf. It creates a nice pattern that I think also complements the yarn. I've only got about a foot knitted so far so I have a lot of knitting to do.

sunflowers

A couple of years ago I was driving back to Lincoln down Highway 6 when I noticed this field of sunflowers. In fact I can still remember the location of that field but I've never seen sunflowers there again. Anyway, I have learned that when I see an opportunity to take photographs of something I find interesting I'd better not let the opportunity go by. Some opportunities only come once. A life lesson learned from a camera.